Q: The Lisa Hilton OASIS video has been affecting people very positively and is incredibly creative. How long did the video shoot take and how large was your crew? I’m glad the video has been received so well - it was a great opportunity to experiment with effects and create a world within another. We only had a window of about 3 hours in which the lighting in and around the pool was ideal for both principal photography and the effects we employed. I tend to prefer working with a small crew of trusted friends and colleagues - for Oasis, I had the pleasure of working with my usual core group of four: myself, my Director of Photography Blake Gaytan, Camera Assistant Sam Shikiar, and Production Coordinator Courtney Cohen… and Emily of course!

Q: You must have been in the pool too, right? It must have been cold - how did you manage? I actually didn’t get in the pool, my Director of Photography Blake was the underwater photographer on Oasis. I was able to watch the wireless feed from the camera at the edge of the pool. So while I wasn’t actually under the water, I was watching what he was shooting in all the underwater sequences. Blake and I have actually done a number of underwater shoots prior to Oasis, and we both love the underwater aesthetic, so we both jumped at the chance to try out some new techniques that we made possible with the underwater camera rig and housing we used. Blake had a diving mask and snorkel as well as a weighted dive belt and wetsuit that allowed him to sink below and around Emily to capture the surreal angles that are showcased in the video. Safety was paramount and we were all standing by and ready to jump in and give assistance if necessary, but both Blake and Emily were absolute professionals and nailed the choreography that emerged between them while underwater without a hitch.

Q: What was the concept and experience you were trying to create?Early in the pre-production talks with Lisa, we knew we wanted the pool to represent the subconscious and the interaction between Lisa and the swimmer to embody an ethereal coexistence. That’s why you’re never really able to identify Emily in the video - Lisa and I wanted her to remain enigmatic - to represent the escape that an oasis provides to a restless mind. I think that the piano is where Lisa finds her oasis, so during the editing process I really tried to represent the world that she creates in the song as a dance between the polar worlds of tension and release, fluidity and rigidity… That dance is what I tried to create and extend through the experimental practical effects that we used in the video, which at times escape detection and others are relatively obvious, all by design.

Q: Yeah, there were some clever visual ideas you used - can you share some of those?While I don’t want let all of the cats out of the proverbial bag, I will say that several trips to a crystal store were required, as well as many hours testing in a separate pool for some of the practical effects we used in Oasis. Going in, I knew I wanted to experiment with novel approaches to diffraction and reflection. I knew that just shooting underwater without any sort of effect wouldn’t fully convey the subconscious world that Lisa and I wanted to create underwater. I also didn’t want to use any digital effects, I wanted everything to be done in camera. After experimenting with several different undisclosed mediums of diffusion, we settled on three that we used to their full potential throughout the shoot.

Q: Emily looks perfect; how did you cast her?Was it difficult to get her to do all the swim moves? I cannot say enough about how great Emily was to work with in the pool, anything we wanted to try she was absolutely on board with. During the casting process, both Lisa and I knew that a strong swimming ability was an absolute necessity. Swimming tends to quite commonly claimed as a skill, but after emailing back and forth with Emily, she really sold me with her background as both a surfer and a competitive swimmer in Australia.

FOR ACTRESS/MODEL Emily Ruth Roche: @EmilyRuthRoche

Q: You must have had a lot of swimming experience before the Lisa Hilton OASIS video - did you grow up swimming in Australia? I did! I’ve always been a strong swimmer! In Australia it’s actually a law that every child take swimming lessons at 18 months old. I’ve spent a lot of time in the water, from surfing to competitive swimming.

Q: Was the director James Grant, specific in what he asked you to do? Was that difficult to translate his vision underwater while holding your breath?James was a fantastic director! He sent over a vision board pre-shoot, for some inspiration. The board had a ton of pictures of beautiful flowing dresses in the water. He also sent me some great videos that captured the emotion of what he envisioned. As for the breath holding; I think all the yoga and breath work I do came in handy, so it wasn’t difficult to stay in the emotional tone he wanted underwater.

Q: What was the temperature and how long were you in the pool? Would you do another underwater video, or was that enough?It was a full day of filming - I think in total I was in the water for about 5 hours. Luckily the pool we shot in was heated at a beautifully warm temperature of 85 degrees. I actually loved it! I reapplied sun screen a few times, and got out to warm up a few times. But I wouldn’t hesitate to jump in for another underwater shoot (no pun intended haha!).

Q: You look amazing in the video - were you surprised at how ethereal it looks now that it’s done? I was blown away at the finished product.It’s always exciting to see the final edit, because you never know what has been seen through the lens. And James absolutely nailed it. I’m very proud to be a part of it!FOR PHOTOGRAPHER/DESIGNER AARON REGAN: @IWouldPut

Q: Wow is it unusual to do the photography AND the design on a project - do you normally work that way?Do you think it’s easier or more difficult to do both? Every now and again both seem to align. I was happy with the outcome of the photos, so when it came to designing for Lisa’s album it all came together nicely. Not too sure if it’s easier or difficult, but definitely more fun. Photos and design work so well together.

Q: What was the idea and concept or vibe you were going for on the album cover and booklet?The title Oasis kind of sums up the concept. I think it’s that place that’s inviting and warm: a place you don’t want to leave.

Q: Was it difficult shooting the swimmer Emily with a still camera rather than video? Did you have to get in the water to shoot?I didn’t need to get in the water; I think that could have been cool though! I shot mostly out of focus images of her while she was swimming and tried to get a dreamy look going on. I like how the tones of all the images turned out and how well everything works together with the video and music too.

Q: Hanging around a pool on a sunny day seems like a pretty good job Aaron - is that a typical day in your creative life? Hah, I wouldn’t say a typical day, but from time to time those kind of photo shoots do happen. It’s nice to get outside to work and take photos instead

WE are THRILLED to once again be featuring the VERY talented Lisa Hilton and her brand new release OASIS!!! Lisa is one of several of our favorites here at SoloPiano.com and you can catch her on tour below! Check out the buzz OASIS is already receiving!!!

“A WINNER”Midwest Record

“LYRICAL ART.” Festival Peak

“EXCEPTIONAL” All About Jazz

“EXTRAORDINARY”Hybrid Jazz

“IMPRESSIVE COMPOSING SKILLS.” JazzWeekly

ARTIST OF THE MONTH “STUNNING VIRTUOSITY” Sounds of Timeless Jazz

An enticing OASIS pulsing with West Coast cool jazz is what the acclaimed pianist and award-winning composer Lisa Hilton has created with her new release. Using traditional ideas in new and impressionistic ways, OASIS promises lift your spirits. OASIS – defined as: Something serving as a refuge or relief delivers on that promise. OASIS OFFICIAL VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaEp-EsU8mw

We are thrilled to be featuring for the month of December, Solo Piano Artist Pam Asberry and her 2nd album, “Thankful Heart, Joyful Mind”!

Thankful Heart, Joyful Mind, Pam Asberry’s second album to date, is a musical journey through the holiday season. These twelve solo piano arrangements were woven from sacred and secular melodies that span nine centuries and eight countries.

1 - Gesù Bambino - 5:32

2 - Sing We Now of Christmas - 5:11

3 - Wexford Carol - 5:01

4 - White Christmas - 4:21

5 - Away in a Manger - 3:52

6 - Over the River and Through the Wood- 3:31

7 - Bell Carol Medley - 3:59

8 - In the Bleak Midwinter - 3:13

9 - March of the Kings - 4:52

10- Still, Still, Still - 3:49

11 - He Is Born - 3:24

12 - Come, Let Us Anew - 3:48

Solo pianist and composer Pam Asberry combines contemporary, new age and classical sounds to create music that is alternately melodic and graceful, dramatic and powerful, peaceful and hypnotic. Her first album of original solo piano music, Seashells in My Pocket, was released in October 2017. Pam received the Best New Artist 2018 award from Enlightened Piano Radio; in addition, Seashells in My Pocket was nominated Album of the Year 2017 at One World Music Radio. Pam’s music can be heard on Whisperings Solo Piano Radio, Enlightened Piano Radio, Spotify, Apple Music and elsewhere. Visit www.pamasberry.com to find out more.

“Beautiful you is another fantastic journey through a wide diapason of emotions. Matthew Mayer’s outstanding technique and refined feeling for pacing and expression is what makes his music stories so credible and deep”

“Matthew Mayer provides the soundtrack of our household. My young kids have grown up listening to his gorgeous talent. When my 6-year-old hears it, he sighs, and whispers, “So soothing.” But for me, it’s more than that: what I love most about Matthew Mayer’s music is that it, at once, stirs up emotions while offering peace. I feel an ache when I hear it.”

Hailed by American Record Guide as “an accomplished interpreter of romantic piano” whose “playing is bold, powerful, and agile,” Charles Szczepanek enjoys a multifaceted musical career. He is a prizewinner in the Jacob Flier International Piano Competition, the Bösendorfer International Piano Competition, the Steinway Society of Chicago’s Most Promising Young Artist Competition, and of Arizona State University’s Concert of Soloists Competition. He additionally has performed and been interviewed on National Public Radio around the United States. He has appeared in concert at numerous halls including Gammage Auditorium and Katzin Concert Hall on the Arizona State University campus, the Hettenhausen Center for the Performing Arts in Lebanon, Illinois, the Performing Arts Center at Texas State University, and Harris Concert Hall at the University of Memphis, among many others.

A Mason & Hamlin Artist, Szczepanek is a pioneer, writing and arranging new virtuosic piano music. His latest album, Keys to the Cinema, was released in October of 2017 and features original arrangements of film score favorites by John Williams, James Horner, and more. His album Winter Day Dreaming features familiar Christmas melodies freshly arranged alongside two original compositions. The album was named Indie Music Digest’s Pick of the Week in December of 2013 and was called a “timeless collection” by music critic Cyrus Rhodes. The holiday season of 2016 brought two new music video releases of arrangements from this album, garnering noted attention with a total of over 100,000 views in just one month. Szczepanek’s album Flirting with the Dragon: Sonnets and Serpents, released on Soundset Recordings, features works by Franz Liszt alongside premiere recordings of works by Paul Aurandt, better known as Paul Harvey Jr: the creator of The Rest of the Story radio show. The album received critical acclaim with Fanfare Magazine noting, “This is beautiful playing,” and “[Szczepanek’s] performance… is vocally inflected, declamatory, and filled with grand romantic gestures.”

Szczepanek is the owner of Winding Road Studios, an audio production company specializing in classical music and film scoring. Through Winding Road Studios, Szczepanek has collaborated with, engineered, and/or produced many of the nation’s top classical performers and ensembles including The Guarneri String Quartet, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, The Millennial Choral Organization, and The Arizona and Phoenix Opera Companies

Currently residing in Phoenix, Arizona, Szczepanek is the Founder and Artistic Director of Arts at Ascension, a concert series that benefits fine arts education for underprivileged students in inner-city schools. He also tours regularly as the collaborative pianist for one of the most celebrated tuba performers in the history of the instrument, Patrick Sheridan. Notably, Szczepanek has been featured in concert under the baton of Charles Bruffy with the Phoenix Chorale, a Grammy-winning choral ensemble. As a member of BMI, he arranges music for artists around the world; notably Paul Harvey Jr., Anna Graceman, finalist on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, Salonnieres Ensemble and the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra.

Szczepanek was a precollege student of Dr. Daniel Paul Horn (Wheaton College Conservatory of Music), and an undergraduate and graduate student of Professor Robert Hamilton (Arizona State University). He also studied with such notables as Vladimir Feltsman, Alexander Korsantia, Susan Starr, Phillip Kawin, and Paul Ostrovski..

Debut Solo Piano Album from Emergent Artist Michael Bohne Now Available

In The Distance, A Solo Piano And Concept Record

ALBANY, NY – In The Distance is the debut full-length solo piano album from solo piano artist, Michael Bohne following his 2014 EP Disenchanted. You can now visit www.michaelbohne.com or any music streaming platform to find it.

“In making the album, the fundamental goal was always to create beautiful solo piano music ⎯ and that goal was achieved ⎯ but it’s important to recognize In The Distance did take a step beyond that,” said Bohne. “With inspiration from some of my favorite music, shows, films and the many stories told throughout, the album was produced with a loose setting in mind and complementary themes.”

Setting & Concept: A global, extinction level event is certain and close in time. Few will survive, those that do will slowly fade away. Developed under this focus, this concept album explores the thought of living your life haunted by the ticking of a clock in the aftermath of a horrible truth revealed.

“I’ve always had an interest in sci-fi horror movies, and the music I’ve enjoyed most has typically had a distinct story or theme connecting it,” said Bohne. “In writing the music for this I wanted to create a concept record so that everyone could bring their own perspective. That was my commitment and focus throughout each song’s conception. However, these are piano solos and there’s no lyrics here to narrate a story for you. I wanted to recognize the intent and general inspirations behind it, but I’m interested in the different takeaways everyone will have.”

More On In The Distance: For each track on the record, when listening you can step into the context of the concept or reflect on each song from a personal perspective. The first track, When the Time Comes, sets the scene with the ticking of a clock on the evening of a thunderstorm. The rain stops and the track transitions into Regarding Stonehenge. Written after a trip with my wife to England and the Stonehenge site, the inspiration for the song comes from the historic mystery of the formation and the one idea of it being a calendar, or what it could reveal if its true intentions were someday known.

Never Looking Back explores the theme of making difficult, defining choices. An earlier single released, Taking the Scenic Route, included in the album’s contrasting dark setting is a distinct song that captures emotions tied to living in the moment and making the best of a situation. The record’s loose concept unfolds throughout its 11 tracks, and it ends on a somber song, When the Stars Disappeared, that closes the story a listener could imagine. It emulates emotions tied to a sendoff, an ending or a long goodbye.

FAQs: Where was In The Distance Recorded?

Blue Sky Studios in Delmar, NY. I really enjoy the character of the studio’s Chickering & Sons Anniversary Grand. The piano here has had a long life and I’ve embraced some of its current imperfections. It has given my recordings a slightly divergent sound that I think is fantastic, it complements In The Distance very well.

How long have you been playing the piano?

The past 10 years, roughly. I always had an interest in music, but it’s not something I truly explored until later on in life. In 2011 my interest in the piano deepened. I participated and was the winner of a YouTube video contest that David Lanz hosted, the objective was to perform one of his songs in an online video, there was a voting process. I chose The Enchantment from his Painting the Sun album. With the prize, that July I had the opportunity to spend a week at the LaFond Conservatory of Music in Centralia Washington, for a small-group, music retreat that included private lessons and workshops with David. I have no idea if he would enjoy this project and how it turned out, but I walked away from that week at the Conservatory with a great deal of general encouragement and I met some extraordinary people. I also learned a great deal from the Conservatory’s Madame Sandra Zegzula, and very much appreciated her hospitality.

Can you read sheet music?

To a very limited degree. When I want to learn a new song, I’ll work from a mix of listening and reading what I can from digital PDF sheet music. I have a degenerative eyesight condition, retinitis pigmentosa. At a legally blind level of vision, if I can’t pick up the melody by ear, I can identify individual notes using enlarged digital sheet music and then I’ll listen to learn how a piece is played.

When writing a new song, I work from memory each time I sit down at the piano. To remember past ideas that aren’t on the surface any longer, I’ll make a rough recording on my phone. Getting everything professionally transcribed is something being worked on.

What are your biggest musical influences?

Very distant from solo piano music, most of my musical influences can be traced back to a mix of post-hardcore, alternative and progressive rock bands. The band and its music that has always been most important to me, is My Chemical Romance. As far as the piano goes, were it not for the music of David Lanz, I don’t think I would have ever even thought of writing for solo piano. I later on discovered many other solo piano and new age artists. There are many pianists that inspire me to do better and try new things each day.

Congratulations to RYAN MARVEL and his album REFLECTING FORWARD! This is a superb album - masterfully composed, recorded, and mastered. Ryan’s music will be featured on our SoloPiano.com Spotify Playlist throughout the month, so be sure to follow and check it out! As well as many other nominees and SoloPiano.com favorites!

Reflecting Forward - Ryan Marvel, USA (WINNER of The 2017 SoloPiano.com Album of the Year)

Congratulations to EVERYONE who created in 2017. Thank you for making a difference with your music.

]]>tag:,2018:/blog/3.52682018-01-30T18:22:00Z2018-01-30T18:39:20ZMatthew Meyermatthewmayer@hotmail.comhttp://www.matthewmayer.comWe have just announced the 2017 SoloPiano.com Album of the Year Category Winners!

The Overall SoloPiano.com Album of the Year will be announced on Tuesday, February 6th!

Congratulations to the 2017 SoloPiano.com Album of the Year Category Winners!

We have just announced the 2017 SoloPiano.com Album of the Year Nominations. Our nominees represent 6 different countries, in 6 different categories. We will be announcing the Category Winners, for the 2017 SoloPiano.com Album of the Year on Tuesday, Jan 31st.

The Overall SoloPiano.com Album of the Year will be announced on Tuesday, February 6th!